Rise of Nightwing
by The Bloody Red Lantern
Summary: A new vigilante arrives in Gotham with a mysterious past. How will Batman react to this new superhero who calls himself nightwing, and why does he refuse to explain his motivations for fighting? Check it out and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**So this was a random idea i had, if people like it i'll write a bit more. As always i own nothing, read and review!**

A hooded figure watched the Jokerz from the shadows as the teenaged gang members sprayed painted J's over every building. J-man was in the corner, laughing to himself, while the others tagged the walls. "When the T's see this, they're gonna flip!" chuckled the wannabe Joker.

"Yea man! Those T's won't know what hit them!" cried Smirk. The Jokerz all whooped and snorted as they thought about their hated rivals.

After tagging a few more walls, Spike finally got bored. "Come on guys, let's find some real fun!"

The others looked to J-man who guffawed. "Spike's right, why settle for simple vandalism!? There's a city out there, full of crime and fun just for us!"

The hooded figure faded back into the shadows at the Jokerz shot out of the alley on motor cycles. The mysterious newcomer flipped himself up onto the fire escape and raced up to the roof. After that, he took off after the Jokerz, jumping from roof to roof.

Finally the Jokerz stopped, more accurately they changed course, and began to circle a family of four. The hooded follower snarled slightly and produced two black handles. The handles turned into a pair of fighting sticks, and the figure leaned closer to the building. "Now, now, we just want to make you smile!" shouted J-man as the others laughed. The family huddled behind the father, who despite being afraid, tried to stand up for his family.

Scab grinned at the guy and decked him. The father flew back, while his wife chased after him. "Let's have fun boys," cackled Scab as he grabbed the wife.

Then a black blur landed in the middle. Faster than the Jokerz could react, two fell to the ground, clutching their knees. A swift blow knocked Scab back, followed by crescent kick to Spike. The vigilante smashed a front kick into the Jokerz's stomach then crashed a stick into his jaw. He spun, sticks at the ready. J-man pulled out a gun and pointed it at the family. "Easy now, we're just out for a laugh. No need to get so rough. Who are you, some bat wannabe?"

The figure cocked his head to the side, then his arm flew up. A throwing knife impeded itself in J-man's shoulder, the Joker screamed as he dropped his gun. The hooded figure walked over to J-man and bashed one of his sticks into the Joker's head. A swift kick ensured he'd stay down. The two Jokerz taken out first went to jump up when the vigilante glared back at them. "Stay…down," he growled. The Jokerz didn't move. The vigilante turned back to the family, money in hand. "Take this…go, and don't come back." The mother nodded as she helped her husband up. The vigilante turned back to the Jokerz, a chain appeared in his hands.

The police found the Jokerz chained together, in the middle of the street. All that was missing from the scene was a black and blue motorcycle used by J-man. Batman and the commissioner stared at the Jokerz, Barbara shook her head. "I knew this would happen, we have ourselves a copycat vigilante. Should have seen it coming with you running around the way you do."

"Wait how is this my fault?" asked Batman.

"Because you're doing so well, you've inspired others, others who aren't as well funded, supplied or trained," answered the former Batgirl.

Batman glanced back at the downed Jokerz. "Seems like he did alright."

Gordon huffed as she looked back at the gang members. "These kids are exactly what they dress like, clowns. Just because this kid could handle a few thugs on his own, doesn't mean he's ready for being a real vigilante."

Batman nodded as he looked over the scene. "Did he leave anything?" Barbara handed Terry an evidence bag, the vigilante's throwing knife in it.

"Only thing, he used a pair of fighting sticks according to those chuckle heads and then disappeared. Oh not before he gave the victims some money, from the Jokerz," answered the commissioner.

Batman nodded his thanks as he stuck the bag in his belt. "I'll run some tests."

Gordon shook her head slightly. "Yes you do that, now if you don't mind I have a crime scene to attend to." She turned away. "Oh one more thing," when she turned back he was gone. Barbara smiled slightly. "Getting more like the old man every day."

Terry flew over the city in the Batmobile, a frown on his face. "I never thought about inspiring others. Did this happen to you when you were doing this?"

"More than I care to admit. It stopped when Joker broadcasted killing several on live television," answered Bruce. Terry could hear the older man take a deep breath as he steadied himself. "I'll analyze the knife when you get back to the Cave, for now just continue patrol."

"Right," answered Terry as he gunned the Batmobile's engine. The patrol didn't turn up anything useful. All he found was a few new graffiti symbols, a red V, almost like a bird. Other than that, nothing, not even any gang activity to take the edge off. Eventually Terry decided to just call it a night and returned home.

The pattern continued for a week, rumors of a new vigilante surfaced all the time, no one ever got a good look at his face, he didn't leave behind any real markers, hell, he barely even talked to his opponents or victims. The only clues he left, throwing knives, were useless. The blades were handmade, the steel shipment stolen from a corrupt construction supply company.

It was starting to irk Terry, a lot. "I just don't get it Max!" complained Terry one day. "Why can't I find this kid?" Dana was once again not talking to Terry for breaking another date, so it was just the two of them. Max had brought up the new vigilante to distract Terry from his on and off again girlfriend.

Max shrugged as the pair walked through the hallways. "How do you know it's a kid?"

"He's sloppy, leaves behind gear broken equipment, heck the only reason I can't find him is because he knows enough not to leave any trace back to himself," answered Terry. He went to say more when they heard a commotion.

"Move it new kid!" shouted Nelson. Said new kid looked Nelson in the eye, then turned back to his locker, unfazed. He was about 6 feet tall, with black hair, sunglasses covered his eyes. He had an athletic build, but wasn't particularly bulky. "I said move it!" The kid just kept putting his books away. "That's it!" Nelson grabbed the kid, and what happened next shocked everyone. The new kid stared at the hand on him, then back to Nelson. Faster than Nelson could cock his arm back, he was on the ground, the new kid stood over him, his sunglasses off and a vicious look in his eyes. His eyes were gold, and seemed to gleam.

"Don't…touch…me," he hissed out. The teenager turned away, scooped his bag and left. His sunglasses reappeared and hid his eyes from the rest of the world.

Both Terry and Max looked at each other. "You don't think?" started Max.

"Best lead I've gotten so far," replied Terry. "Check you later Max, got some work to do." Terry ran off after the new kid. Or tried too. As soon as Terry lost sight of him in a hallway, the kid vanished. He stopped in the middle of the empty hall. "Man, so that's what it feels like. Not schway."

Then he was grabbed and slammed into a locker. "Why...are…you…following…me?" was whispered into his ear.

Terry fought down his instincts to attack, instead held up his hands. "Just wanted to see if you were alright, Nelson is kind of a jerk."

The pressure on his back disappeared as the new kid let him go. He cocked his head to the side as he stared at Terry. "Fine." He turned to walk away when Terry grabbed his arm. The new kid looked back, a glare in his eyes.

Terry took his hand back. "Sorry," he said as he held up his hands. "Just wanted to introduce myself, name's Terry McGinnis." Terry offered the kid a handshake.

The new kid turned around completely, confused. "Um…Drake…Drake Abel."

"Nice to meet you Drake, why don't you come hang with a few friends of mine?" asked Terry as he shook Drake's hand.

Drake looked almost…afraid. "Not…very…good…with," he took a deep breath, as if to steady himself. "People," he finished.

"Doing fine with me," countered Terry. Drake scratched his head awkwardly, and even with the sunglasses, Terry could tell he was nervous. "It's just an invitation, no pressure. I'll check ya later Drake, ok?" Drake nodded hesitantly and Terry walked off. The new teen watched Terry leave, a frown on his face.

He shook his head to himself. "Not m-m-meant t-t-to be," he stuttered. Drake simply left the school after that.

Terry rejoined Max. "So what's the deal?" asked the pink haired girl.

Terry shrugged. "Speech pattern fits, slow, drawn out, and he has some experience fighting. But I don't know."

"Well, looks like you're gonna have to catch him in the act," replied Max.

Terry could only sigh. "Easier said then done."

Later that night, Terry was on patrol talking to Bruce. "I don't know if it is him, but he definitely fits what little information we have, doesn't' speak, sharp combat skills"

"Knocking over one of your classmates does not mean sharp combat skills," countered Bruce.

Batman shook his head. "He didn't just punch him, he floored him, before Nelson could react. Then there was the matter of actually sneaking up on me. He grabbed me in a lock before I knew it."

"Still doesn't seem that impressive," said Bruce, a hint of a smirk on his face.

Batman glared slightly as he drove. "Yea, yea, yea. This Drake kid though, he's definitely not normal."

Bruce leaned forward as he rested his arms on the computer. "Not many are, still if he is this new vigilante, he'll slip up, they always do."

"Kind of ironic coming from you," said Terry. The teenager went to say more when an alarm sounded.

"There's a break in at National Jewelers, looks like the T's are having some fun," commented Bruce.

"Great," muttered Terry. "Almost as much fun as the Jokerz, I'm on it." He hit the throttle and sped off to the scene.

Underneath the Batmobile, a motorcycle followed the same hooded vigilante from before on it. He tapped a comm bead in his ear and heard the police report. He throttled the engine when he saw a blond girl slowly back into an alley, three guys with her. He pulled over but stopped. The hooded figure looked back at the retreating Batmobile then to the alley. With a sigh he got off the bike.

"Don't worry pretty lady, we just want some creds, then you can be on your way," said one of the muggers. The others giggled; they had pipes and chains in their hands.

"Get away from me!" cried the girl. The thugs all chuckled as they closed in.

Then the hooded vigilante appeared. "Get…back," he growled, fighting sticks in hand. He positioned himself in between the girl and the three thugs.

The leader laughed as he stared. "Lookie here boys, we got ourselves a wannabe Batman, let's show him why that's a very unschway decision."

The hooded vigilante cocked his head to the side, then charged. Faster than the thugs anticipated, he was amongst them. One stick smashed into a thug's head, while another was bashed into another's stomach. He whirled around; blocking a pipe then slammed a stick into the leader's collarbone. He cocked his head to the side then back kicked, knocking the wind out of the first thug. He bashed the final thug several times then turned back to the leader. He slipped his sticks onto his back and drew a throwing knife. He slammed the leader against the alley war. "Creds…now!"

"I-i-i-in m-my pocket!" cried the defeated thief. The vigilante pinned the teen to the wall with a throwing knife and punched him in the stomach. The thief coughed then passed out. The vigilante patted the thief down, found his wallet and tossed it to girl.

"Take…this…take a cab…and go home," said the mysterious newcomer. He turned away and jumped onto his motorcycle. He peeled out while the girl watched. The vigilante gunned his bike's engine as he weaved in and out of traffic. By the time he got to the jewelry store, the T's were taken care of, and Batman was nowhere to be seen. The vigilante cursed under his breath as he turned his bike away and took off into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is the second chapter, i'm glad people like this story. As always i hope you enjoy and as always i own nothing**

**BRL**

Drake was walking through school, head down, eyes hidden behind glasses. He walked with a slight limp, and he had a hand wrapped around his ribs, both parting gifts from a gang of T's. His head snapped up when Terry and Max came into his field of vision. "Hey Drake, you ok man?" asked Terry as he went to lay a hand on Drake's shoulder.

The teen stepped back to avoid the contact, and nodded slightly. "Fine," he replied.

Max and Terry shared a look as they fell into step with the newest vigilante. "So what happened D-man? Hockey Team jump you? Kick the crap out of some bullies? Spill, we want all the schway details," said Max. Drake looked up slightly, only to stop dead as he grabbed Max and Terry. Both were about to cry when three students zoomed by, unaware of the accident they just caused. Drake nodded to himself and let the other two go. Max smiled brightly at Drake while Terry shook his head. "Thanks, but I still want details!" cried Max.

Drake cocked an eyebrow as he stared at her then turned away, shaking his head in confusion. Terry laughed as Max glared. "Did you really think it would be that easy?" commented Terry.

"Shut it!" answered Max. "Slag it, I really want to know if he's this hooded vig or not."

Max went to say more when Dana appeared. "Terry! Where have you been!?" Max couldn't help but chuckle as Terry struggled to explain his disappearances…again.

"Uh, we were…um, Max?" asked Terry, all but begging the pink haired girl for help.

Max laughed as she patted Terry's arm. "We were checking up on that new kid, Drake, not often you find a kid who knocks Nash on his butt so easy. But, since Drake isn't here, you guys can go do whatever it is you guys do. Check ya later!" called Max as she chased after Drake.

But like Terry, she soon lost sight of Drake, who seemed to simply melt into the shadows. "Slag it," she murmured.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Shouldn't follow…bad things c-c-c-could happen." She whirled around to see Drake, who blushed slightly. "S-s-sorry."

"You stutter?" questioned Max. Drake just blushed harder. "It's not a big deal you know." He spared her a disbelieving glare. Max raised her hands slightly. "It's not!" The mysterious teen turned away, bag slung over his shoulder. He stalked off; but Max quickly fell into step behind him. He looked back at the girl, confused, but just shook his head and continued. "So where we going?"

"No…where," replied Drake, not bothering to stop.

Max skipped in front of him. "Do you talk so slow to avoid stuttering?" Drake just brushed past her. Max stared at the retreating teen, unsure whether to chase after him or not.

Eventually the bell rang, and Max left for class, but Drake didn't. Instead he ducked into a bathroom and pulled out a small ear wick. "Yes?"

"We have a situation, normally I'm against working in day light and of taking you out of school, but this is serious," came the voice over the radio.

Drake sighed but nodded. "On it." He dipped into a stall and opened his bag, inside a hood and a domino mask could be seen.

Ten minutes later the hooded vigilante arrived to see armed men retreating from Gotham First National, guns blazing. Drake cocked his head to the side, and pulled out several bolas. He gunned the engine of his bike and charged into the fight. He whirled the bolas over his head and threw, two went down. The rest opened fire.

The hooded vigilante jumped off the bike, he tucked into a roll then came up with his fighting sticks at the ready. He sprang in the middle of the pair, smacking one in the head while slapping the barrel of the other's weapon. He dropped down and swept his leg out, knocking both to the ground. He jumped up, ready for more. That's when the police appeared. "You're surrounded, lower your weapons!" called Commission Gordon.

The vigilante cocked his head to the side, but didn't drop his sticks. "They…robbed the…bank. I…stopped them."

"We can see that, still we want you to come in, please," replied Gordon.

The vigilante tightened the grip on his sticks and shook his head. "Not…happening." The police officers hesitantly raised their rifles. Then a smoke bomb appeared. The Batmobile flew in over the hidden vigilante and a cable shot out, Drake wrapped a hand around it, and was lifted into the air. The officers opened fire as the Batmobile retreated. Two blasts grazed the masked teen, but he held on. The hooded vigilante waited until he was over a building before letting go.

He winced as he slammed onto the roof, rolling with the force of the fall, then jumped to his feet. "What happened?!" demanded the voice in Drake's ear.

"Cops…Batman…saved me," responded Drake.

A sigh escaped from his ear piece. "Are you still with the Bat?"

"No," answered Drake.

"Good, I have a new bike ready for you, make your way back home," said the voice.

Drake stretched as he nodded. "Right." He raced to the edge only for the Batmobile to appear.

Batman jumped out of the cockpit and landed in front of the masked teenager. "I saved you, and then you ditched me. Not very nice." The vigilante paused, then his eyes widened underneath his mask. It's a credit to his teacher he managed to keep his body language normal.

The vigilante stood up fully and kept his arms by his sides. "Sorry…need to…disappear."

Batman nodded. "I can see." He took a deep breath as he squared his shoulders. "You did well with those robbers, but this is a dangerous game. Never mind the cops, criminals play for keeps and a lot of them are better armed than some idiot bank robbers or Jokerz. You need to give this up, while you're still able too."

Drake looked Batman in the eye and shook his head. "My job. N-n-need," he turned, hand clenched. "Need…to…do it," he finished as he turned back to Batman.

But Batman shook his head. "I understand, but this isn't a game, you don't have the equipment or the training to deal with it. Just back off." Almost faster than Batman could react, the hooded vigilante struck out. Batman blocked a fighting stick and rushed forward, arm cocked back for a vicious uppercut. The punch actually lifted the new vigilante off the ground. He flew back and crashed into a roof vent and slunk to the ground. Batman cautiously approached the hooded vigilante, unfortunately, not cautiously enough. As soon as Batman was close, Drake's head shot up. He sprang forward, smashing one stick into Batman's head, the other into his leg. Batman stumbled back from the blows; he struggled to get his arms up as the vigilante unleashed a barrage of stick attacks.

Terry caught one of the sticks and wrenched it from the vigilante's hands. He smashed a hook into the vigilante's jaw, followed by a leg sweep that knocked Drake off his feet. A batarang appeared in Batman's hand as he loomed over the sprawled out teen. "Stay down!" The vigilante rolled to the left and came up; a throwing knife flew through the air. Batman knocked it aside with his own projectile but Drake was on him. Toe to toe, the two stood trading blows.

Finally Batman decided to end it. He broke off from the fight, rocketing into the sky as he dropped a smoke bomb. Drake coughed as he swung wildly around him. Batman activated his cloaking and landed softly behind the teen. He went to strike, when a stick bounced off his head. The new vigilante spun and smashed his shin into Batman's ribs. The force of the kick actually sent the invisible hero flying.

Drake hissed as he clutched his leg. He drew several throwing knives and chucked them at Batman before fleeing. He flipped himself over the edge of the building and scrambled down the fire escape.

Terry dodged the throwing knives as he jumped to his feet, batarang at the ready. But it was too late. "I hope you got a tracker on him," growled Bruce through the comm link.

"Yea, I'll follow it now," replied Batman as he flew back to the Batmobile.

"Don't bother, we'll pick his trail up later when he holes up for the night, get back out onto patrol," said Bruce.

Batman sighed as he stared after Drake's trail. "Alright."

Meanwhile Drake leapt from fire escape to fire escape. Eventually he found a group of T's. A vicious grin wormed its way onto his face. He slid down a ladder and slithered into a path of deep shadows. His wrists flicked, and his twin sticks appeared. Five minutes later Drake flew out of the alley on a new motorcycle.

"Are you alright?" asked the voice in Drake's ear.

"Bit…banged up. Got away," answered Drake.

There was a slight chuckle from the other end of the radio. "Not likely, I know Batman, if he's not followings it's probably because he placed a tracker on you." Drake cursed slightly under his breath. "I heard that, no need for that sort of language. If the big bad bat wants to meet, that's purrrrfect for us. Head to the gym; that should be quiet enough to meet."

Drake sighed, but throttled the engine all the same. He weaved through the streets of Gotham, eventually stopping outside an old gym in Gotham's historic district. A picture of an old heavy weight champion was plastered outside. Drake cut the engine for his bike and slowly climbed off. He winced as he put weight on his leg; he landed to rough during that fight with the T's. He slowly limped into the gym, where the telltale sounds of a man hitting a punching bag could be heard.

The massive boxer threw one more bone shattering hook then turned to Drake. "Kid, what the hell are you doing here?!"

Drake leaned against a wall, an arm wrapped around his ribs. "Had…a rough…night."

The boxer rushed over and all but lifted Drake up. "Christ kid, yer bleeding, I swear I'm gonna smack that woman, come on, let's get ya fixed up."

"I'd move away from him if I was you," came a new voice.

Both Drake and the boxer turned to see Batman step out of the shadows. "Did the bat do all this to ya?" asked the boxer.

Drake shook his head. "Bank robbers…police…gangs."

The boxer whistled. "You had a full night I see." He turned back to Batman. "The kid aint fit to fight right now, come back another night."

"You can't be serious? He's shot, bruised and possibly hurt badly, talk some sense into him!" cried Batman.

The boxer laughed. "I've been trying since the day that woman brought the kid to me. He don't listen too well." The boxer shifted slightly and got a better grip on him. "I'm gonna take him in the back, fix him up a bit. He'll be fine in a few days."

"I'm not leaving. He needs to stop this," said Batman.

The boxer sighed. "Yer leavin, whether you want to or not."

Back in the cave, Bruce's eyes widened. "That's not possible," he murmured. "Terry get out of there!"

But Batman didn't listen. "I'm not leaving until I convince him to stop."

The boxer just shook his head. "Too bad, hold tight kid." The boxer put Drake against a wall, before he turned back to Batman. "Come on, give me yer best shot." He took a bouncing stance, hands up. Batman charged forward, the boxer smirked. He ducked under Batman's swing and came up with a barrage of uppercuts. He grabbed Batman, slammed a knee into the teen threw flipped him over his shoulder. Batman smashed into the ground, coughing as he did.

The boxer stood over him, shaking his head. "Tch, yer got a bit more seasonin to do kid. Bruce, I know yer watchin, my boy's got as much right to this as you do. And he's gonna do it, if I got anything to say about it." The boxer picked Batman up and walked him outside, where the Batmobile was waiting. "Glad to see not everything has changed." The boxer placed Batman on the ground underneath the car and headed back inside. From the window, Drake watched a frown on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry this took a while this was originally just a little side project but i really like it so i'm gonna keep working on this. Also i have a few ideas for villains but if anyone has anyone they want to see or any ideas on who would make a good villain (besides the Joker, i cant do that much crazy sorry) leave a comment. As always i own nothing and please enjoy**

**BRL**

Drake was absent for several days, though only Terry and Max knew the real reason. "Did you really hurt him that badly?" asked Max as they hung out in a computer lab.

"I didn't! The police, the gangs and the bank robbers, maybe. Besides the kid's tough, it's not like I'm completely bruise free here," answered Terry as he rubbed his ribs.

Max just cooed. "Big bad Batman; beaten up by a teenager with sticks and a bad attitude. Not to mention got your butt whooped by some ancient boxer."

Terry glared. "Put on the suit and let's see how you do."

Max immediately smirked. "Thought you'd never ask! I'm already coming up with new designs and some schway gadgets for myself."

Terry held up his hand. "Not what I meant and you know it."

"Slag it, you are no fun McGinnis," complained Max as she opened her locker.

"That's what I'm always telling him, at least he doesn't ditch you every night," said Dana as she walked over.

Terry apologized as he helplessly shrugged. "It's not my fault, I got these responsibilities now Dana, Mr. Wayne needs me."

"Mhmn, you give me the same answer all the time. I'm just waiting to see when these responsibilities become about your girlfriend and not just your job," countered Dana as she got her books. "Cause when they do, I'm probably not gonna be around." With that Dana walked off.

Max shook her head as she chuckled. "Did you miss an anniversary or something?"

Terry glared at his friend as he leaned against the lockers. "No, but I might as well have. I had to cancel on this real schway dinner date to this new fancy restaurant, all organic and eco-friendly. She got dressed up and everything."

"Really blew that one McGinnis," responded Max.

Terry gave her a disbelieving look. "Gee you think? Man sometimes I hate my night job." He went to say more when a new shadow approached. "Drake!" called Terry.

The new kid stopped, his head cocked to the side. He nodded slightly to the pair before he continued. Max looked back to Terry. "We gonna follow?"

"Ms. Gibson I'm starting to believe you're a mind reader. Shall we?" asked Terry as he offered Max his arm.

"Careful Terry, people are gonna start talking 'bout us," answered Max as she took it.

Terry shrugged. "Dana's already pissed, but at least she never thinks that. Come on." The two set off after Drake.

The new teenager flowed through the crowds like water, as if he had been doing it his whole life. His body language directed attention away from, he seemed determined to be only half remembered at best, a shadow that no one knew if it was ever quite there. If it had been anyone else, Drake would have lost them easily. But in the months that Terry took over the mantle of the Batman, he had become quite the expert in tracking people, with or without the aid of technology. The teenaged detective quickly found Drake's trail and followed it, Max right behind him.

Drake made his way to a less occupied section of the school; it usually was abandoned unless people had to be there. When Terry and Max turned a hallway Drake was waiting, he was leaning against a locker with his arms crossed over his chest. "Why…are…you following…me?" asked the mysterious teen.

Both stopped and looked at each other. Finally Terry spoke. "We were worried bout you, you were out of school for a few days."

Drake cocked an eyebrow. "Bull." He stepped forward and threw a punch. Terry caught the blow then countered with one of his own. Drake dodged left and came up with a smirk. Max was pushed back as the two teen heroes circled each other. "Fight well."

"You do to, why are we fighting though?" asked Terry. Drake just grinned as he rushed forward.

Terry could see Drake wasn't used to fighting without his sticks. While he was skilled, his rhythm was off, and his attacks weren't quite as coordinated as they usually were. Terry, on the other hand, had no such problem. He threw a round kick followed by a back kick that forced Drake back. Terry didn't bother to ask what was going on again, Drake wanted to prove something to himself, Terry might as well go along with it.

Drake picked himself up and took a boxing stance. He charged forward with a barrage of jabs that actually forced Terry back, then Drake came down with a massive cross. Terry dodged the punch but grabbed Drake's arm. With a smirk, Terry flipped the teen over his shoulder, sending Drake right into the lockers.

The teen jumped back to his feet, his yellow eyes bright and excited. "Come on!" he roared as he flew forward. Terry took a new stance and the two went at it again. Or tried to.

Max stepped right in the middle and slapped both of them. "What is wrong with you two!?"

Terry stumbled back, rubbing his head. "He started it."

Max cocked an eyebrow. "Seriously McGinnis, you're worse than the twip sometimes." Max then wheeled around on Drake. "And you! Look the mysterious loner thing went out in the early 2010's, stop it! And seriously who attacks the closest things they have to friends!?"

Drake checked his jaw as he shrugged. "Friends?" he asks almost hesitantly.

Max tried to slap him again. "Yes! We're trying to be your friends if you'd let us! God you're a bigger idiot than he is!" She pointed over her shoulder at Terry who was checking his shoulder.

Both male teens blushed slightly. Drake sighed and held out his hand. "Sorry."

Terry took it gingerly. "Yea, no worries Drake, come on I think we're late for class."

Max shook her head as she fell into step with the two. Though, a smirk flitted across her face, she now had two vigilantes for friends, and she still wasn't allowed to become one, she would have to change that.

Drake watched Terry for the rest of the day. The fight confirmed his suspicions that Terry was the Batman, but Drake had a hard time seeing it. Terry was happy; he didn't act or look tortured, so how did he become the Dark Knight? The more Drake watched, the more confused he became. Everything he had read, learned, or heard always told him heroes had a dark reason for becoming what they were; yet Terry seemed completely at peace, what could possibly be his reason for donning the cowl? When the bell finally rang, Drake could feel the beginnings of a headache from all his analyzing. He gathered his supplies up and was about to leave when Terry walked over to him. "Hey, we uh, we need to talk, in private."

Drake nodded as he followed Terry out of the room. Terry sent an apologetic look to Max who just sighed and distracted Dana while the two superheroes ducked out. The two started making their way to the parking lot when a car and a motorcycle pulled up. Out stepped Bruce while a beautiful older woman gracefully climbed off the bike. Drake sent Terry a confused look, who could only match it.

"Who…old man?" whispered Drake.

"Bruce Wayne, who's the woman?" replied Terry just as low.

"Selina Kyle," answered Drake. Terry almost swore.

But the Bruce and Selina paid their protégés no mind. Bruce eyes hardened when Selina removed her helmet, revealing a shock of silver hair. "Selina, when did you get back to Gotham?"

Selina grinned as she strutted over to Bruce, her charm still there, despite her age. "Oh Brucie I didn't know you still cared." She smiled, but Bruce kept his hard gaze. Selina just giggled slightly. "Well for your information, I returned when my…grandnephew became my responsibility. There he is now, Drake!" Bruce whirled to look at the pair of teenagers and his eyes narrowed.

"Selina, don't tell me," he growled.

Selina blew Bruce a kiss as Drake walked over. "Oh be nice Brucie, at least he's not a thief. Even you have to admit he has good teachers. Come on Drake we have work to do, bye Brucie." She went back to her bike, only to stop and notice Terry. "Ohhh, so you're the one. How positively puuuuuurffect, he's a good choice Bruce, we'll see you later." She handed Drake a helmet and climbed onto the bike.

Despite himself, Drake sent Terry a sheepish smile and got on the bike. Selina smirked at Bruce before slamming her helmet's visor down, she peeled out of the lot, Drake hung on for dear life. Terry was next to Bruce as the old vigilante climbed back into his car. "Is that who I think it is?" asked Terry.

"Yes, that is Catwoman, and if she's training Drake, this just became a lot more complicated," replied Bruce.

Terry clambered into the driver's seat of the car and took off for Wayne Manor. "She's pretty schway looking, you know, for an older woman." Bruce just sent the teen an evil glare. Terry shrugged as he dipped down into the seat. "Right, ex-girlfriend, we're not gonna go there, got it."

Meanwhile Selina tapped the comms bead in her helmet to talk to Drake. "So, you're friends with the new Batman hmm?" Drake shrugged against her back. Selina chuckled. "It's not a bad thing, me and Bruce…that was fun; at least you're on the right side of the law." She laughed again only to stop. "You don't…like him do you?"

If his aunt could see him, she would have giggled at the bright crimson that stained Drake's face. "N-n-no, I-I-I d-don't like him. N-n-not g-g-gay a-a-aunt Selina. Y-y-you k-know that."

"Do I? You barely look at anyone, it's not healthy my dear, you should go out with kids your own age, at least some nights," countered Selina.

Drake rolled his eyes, this was an old argument. Part dissuasion from being a vigilante, part incentive to be a thief like his aunt. Not that his aunt was a bad person, she took care of Drake, he just…he wasn't a thief. Well, he fingered the creds in his pocket, not a real thief. "I-I-I'm f-f-fine auntie."

Selina just shook her head as she throttled the engine. They eventually stopped in front of a large housing complex on the edge of Gotham. Selina had built a very nice fortune all her years stealing and when she became custodian of Drake she decided to use that wealth to help her nephew. Selina owned the entire complex, the top two floors were dedicated to Drake's vigilante work, the middle two were a museum of Selina's accomplishments and the rest was living quarters. The security system was based off JL design and not even Selina could break into it. Selina pulled the bike into an underground garage which had several cars and motorcycles all parked inside. Drake jumped off the bike and all but fled before his aunt could continue the argument.

Selina sighed as he ran off. "Dinner's at six!" she called. She pulled out a cell phone and made a phone call. "So, I feel we should…talk, about, yes about him. Tonight? Oh, right, maybe tomorrow then, lunch? Fine." She hung up the phone and looked back at the stairs, she already knew what her ward was doing, yet she wished he wouldn't.

Drake took the stairs three at a time as he made his way up the complex. He finally stopped in the large training area. He picked up a pair of rattan sticks and set to work on a training dummy. The sticks wove a dazzlingly pattern, changing angles and height constantly. Finally he slammed both down on the dummy's head, cracking the sticks. He stepped back, panting as he stared at the damaged sticks. He sighed and dropped them then took a boxing stance. He was nowhere near as fluid as he was with the sticks, but his movements were crisp and his attacks coordinated.

After a bone jarring left hook Drake stepped back and rolled his shoulders, smiling slightly when the muscles cracked and popped. He stretched his neck then grabbed a towel and water bottle. He was wiping the sweat off his brow when his comm bead began to beep. He put it in. "Yes?"

"Trouble in down town Gotham, it looks like Batman needs a hand," said Selina over the radio. Drake grinned as walked into another room. He flipped on a light and stared at his costume. The armored suit had been tailored to him, with the hood and mask based off an old Robin design, though Drake lacked a cap. He picked up the mask and fitted it on, a smirk wormed its way onto his face. "Schway."


	4. Chapter 4

**So i'm very happy people like this story, and i'm very sorry about the delays in updating, i've been busy, my muse is fickle and its been dedicated to another project not on FF, but i am working on this and other stories and i'll try and update them as soon as i can. As always enjoy!**

Thirty minutes later Drake weaved through the streets of New Gotham, following a beacon on his bike's GPS. "What a-a-am I-I-I dealing w-w-with?" asked Drake, he didn't bother with his usual slow form of speech as he needed information quickly.

Across the comms bead he could hear the clacking of keys as Selina monitored from her control room. "It's some kind of new gang; they seem to have either genetic enhancements or a very good mechanic. Either way they're giving Batman a difficult time." A grin bloomed on Drake's face as he gunned the engine. He shot forward, heading directly to the fight. "Don't rush in, that's for rookies and rookies get killed."

Drake, unfortunately, didn't listen to the wise advice. He sallied forth, head first into the battle. Three blocks away, Batman was fighting what seemed like characters from a book. On a street lamp above the fight was a girl dressed as, what could only be described as the Queen of Hearts. Batman was currently fighting a teenager dressed as the Mad Hatter, while another garbed as the March Hare was emptying an armored car of the cred cards it carried. Others, all dressed as characters from _Alice in Wonderland_ circled slowly and attacked whenever the Hatter broke off.

Drake hit the throttle and raced forward, a fighting stick out. "Batman Down!" roared Drake as he leapt from his bike. A flying baton smashed into the Hatter's head as Drake rolled and sprang up. Back to back, the two stared as the other gang members circled.

The Queen stared down, a glare on her face. "Another intruder, who without a second thought, has decided to jump down the rabbit hole. Hatter, Hare, take care of him!" The March Hare dropped his loot as Hatter picked himself up. Drake flicked out his second stick while batarangs appeared in Terry's hands. The two nodded at each other and sprang forward.

Drake dodged a wild haymaker, and unleashed a barrage of stick attacks. The Hare fell back when another, dressed as the Walrus, slammed into Drake, its body weight, brought both to the ground. The teenager, whose suit bore massive tusks, tried to gore Drake as he crushed the vigilante underneath him.

Meanwhile, Terry chucked his two batarangs then attacked. The Hatter took one to the head and didn't see Terry's punch. With the Hatter down, Batman rocketed forward into the Walrus, knocking him off of Drake.

Drake jumped to his feet as another teenager, dressed like the dormouse charged him. Above them all, the Red Queen got angrier and angrier. "Can't you imbeciles deal with two costumed freaks! Off with their heads!" cried the Queen, jabbing the air violently with her scepter. But her screeching did little good. The entire gang seemed to descend on the two who fought like men possessed.

Terry and Drake flowed around each other, attacking while the other defended. They worked well together, finding a natural rhythm that seemed almost practiced. Eventually they left the gang beaten, bloody and crumpled in a pile.

Batman smirked up at the Red Queen. "Don't think you got anyone left, so, how bout off with your head?"

The queen leered down at Batman and his partner. "That's what you think, Jabberwocky!" A horrific purple monster swept out of the sky and flew off with the Red Queen, leaving her gang behind.

Terry just stared at the retreating monster, almost awe struck. "That's…definitely not something you see every day." Batman turned back to the others as Drake recovered his sticks. "Let's see what we got here." Terry bent down and dragged the Hatter out from the pile. The teenager groaned as Batman knocked off his hat to get a better look at his face.

Without the hat, the teen shot forward. "Where am I!?" He turned to the two vigilantes and promptly fainted.

Drake cocked his head to the side as Batman stood up. "Hoo boy, um, do you have any idea what's going on?" asked Terry. Drake shook his head. "Great, well um, what do I call you exactly?"

Drake went to answer only to stop. He actually had no idea. He could hear Selina chuckle but didn't bother to get angry. He could only shrug. "Know…who…I am?"

Batman nodded. "And you know who I am right?" Drake dipped his head. "Right then, um."

"Don't worry…only here…to…help," said Drake as he turned away.

Batman placed a hand on Drake's shoulder. "Be careful out there alright?" Both went to walk away when Batman stopped. "Here, in case we need to get in contact." Batman tossed Drake a cell phone. "Modified, untraceable, keep it close."

Drake grinned slightly under his hood as he nodded. Batman blasted off into the sky while Drake gunned the engine of his bike. "Oh…yea, it's…gonna…be a…good night," he murmured to himself as he peeled out.

The rest of the night passed quietly, Terry couldn't find hide nor hair of the Red Queen or her pet monster, while Drake came across no further incidents of gang violence. Eventually both called it a night, though neither wanted too. Drake made his way home, hiding his bike in a special garage on the edge Kyle's complex, an abandoned tenement building where a false wall would rise and allow Drake to get home via a hidden passage. Selina had learned, many times, it paid to have a secret entrance to your base of operations.

Selina waited for Drake at the top of the stairs from the garage. "Really, you still haven't figured out a name?" Drake only snorted as he brushed past her. Selina chuckled again but then her eyes hardened as she watched Drake limp slightly. "You should get out of the suit and take care of yourself." Drake nodded as he went upstairs.

Selina examined the bike, it didn't look too worse for wear, when her phone rang. "Hello Bruce, I figured you'd be calling." She listened as Bruce rattled off some information. "So it is his technology? Right, ok, we'll discuss more at lunch tomorrow, good night." She hung up as she made her way upstairs. "Drake?" called the older thief. There was no answer. The older woman went to step into the darkened living space when she stopped, whether it was some kind of sixth sense, or just experience acting on its own, Selina did not walk forward.

A grin wormed its way onto her face as she scanned the area. She slipped into a natural crouch and slunk along the edge of the room, senses strained to their max. Softly, so softly she almost didn't hear it, a foot eased off the floor. He might have played a drum. Selina sprang toward the sound, ducking the predictable high stick and coming in with a heavy over hand right. Drake stumbled back as he took a new fighting stance. Selina shook her hand out as she stood up. "Not bad, you almost had me, but you took your weight off your lead leg too fast, it made noise." Drake nodded as he stood up, his hood was thrown back but his mask was still on. "You really do need to pick a name if you want to work with the Bat."

Drake nodded as he picked up his stick and flicked it shut. He removed his mask and held up a picture, it held a red v on it. "Nightwing?"

Selina took the picture as she shook her head. "Nightwing huh? You want to be like the Bat wannabe?"

Drake snatched the picture back. "Not…a wanna…be."

Selina nodded as she gave her nephew a smile. "Nightwing was a tough kid, and did good on his own. Look get some sleep you got school in the morning alright?" Drake sighed as he made his way upstairs.

Selina walked to a couch and collapsed. Her pet cat, the grand child of her Isis, sprang onto her shoulder and rubbed itself against her neck. "Hey kitty cat, were you worried about Drake too?" The cat purred as it continued to rub itself. Selina scratched the cat behind the ears. "Me too kitty, me too." She grabbed the phone next to the couch and hit speed dial. "Yes it's me, I'm sorry for calling so late, I'm meeting Bruce tomorrow for lunch, I was hoping you could come, yes I know…thank you." Selina hung up the phone and settled deeper into the couch. "That boy is going to be the death of us, I swear to god," murmured the former thief.

Meanwhile Terry was finishing his own patrol. "Looks like the Queen went into hiding after her little brush with me and Drake," said Terry as he flew through the air. "Do you have any idea who she is, or where she went?"

"When I was wearing the cowl there was a man named Jervis Tetch, he called himself the Mad Hatter," answered Bruce. "Used mind control technology hidden in hats to make puppets out of his victims, and he had a love for Alice In Wonderland."

"That Hatter did freak when I knocked his hat off, didn't even know what was going on," murmured Batman.

Bruce started to pull up some records on the Batcomputer. "I'll start looking into it, for now wrap up patrol and get home."

Terry yawned as the Batmobile pulled up into the air. "Sounds like a plan. So, what do you think of Drake?"

Bruce leaned back in his chair, his fingers laced in front of him. "I…don't know. But he bears watching all the same."

"Right," said Terry. He throttled the engine and headed for the cave. He cut the call with Bruce and dialed Max's number.

"I saw the fight on the news, you and Drake were way schway together," commented Max as she picked up.

Terry laughed. "Made fighting a bit easier."

Max chuckled as she opened her laptop. "So is this for business or pleasure Mr. McGinnis cause it's rather late."

"Which is cheaper?"

Max shook her head as she giggled. "So what's really up Ter, this about your new partner to be?"

"What do you think of him?" questioned Terry.

"He seems like he really wants to help, and he's certainly capable of handling himself. Given I aint exactly an expert, but hey go with your gut and see what happens. Sides, this might actually help, with Drake around maybe you could actually keep a few of your dates with Dana," answered Max.

Terry chuckled again as he nodded. "Yea that'd be a nice change."

Max re-watched the fight on the net. "He is good, I give him that."

"A bit reckless though, he just charged right in," countered Terry.

"You're starting to sound more and more like the old man, I'd watch out if I were you Ter," said Max, a grin on her face.

"Yea, yea, yea," grumbled Terry.

The night passed peacefully enough, and Terry was even able to get a few hours of sleep before school the next day. Drake was walking up to the main entrance when he saw Max and Terry. Terry half expected the loner to walk in the opposite direction but instead Drake waved and walked towards them.

"Huh when did you guys become friends with the new kid?" asked Dana as she took Terry's arm.

"They're…nice to…me, figure…it didn't…hurt…to…have friends," said Drake as he came over.

Max took the teen's arm. "Finally realized you couldn't shake us huh? Good for you, now come on new kid, newbie buys, rules of the gang." Max dragged Drake off who floundered as he sent Dana and Terry a pleading look.

Both teens just laughed and waved goodbye. "So Ter, there's this new club, and"

"Yes," interrupted Terry.

Dana actually looked surprised then suspicious. "You're not gonna cancel if Wayne calls are you?"

Terry shook his head as he watched Drake walk off. "No I think I'm about to get some time off, very soon."

Dana gave Terry a bright smile as the two strolled into school. While the teens were at school, Selina was preparing for her lunch with Bruce. "What do you think Isis?" she asked her cat as she held up a dress. The cat yawned as it stretched. Selina sighed as she nodded. "Yes, you're right, it won't be much of a date with Teddy there. Oh well, hmm, slacks and a nice blouse, that'll do the trick wont it Isis?" The cat meowed as it approached its master. "Yes I think it will." Selina got dressed and headed for her date, a confident smirk on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Greetings Everyone! Drake is back, he's still around, and hopefully people still want to read about him. This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but we're building. As always I hope everyone enjoys.**

**BRL**

Bruce was waiting at a café when Selina slunk into the chair opposite him. "Brucie."

A slight smirk wormed its way onto the old man's face. "Selina."

"You look good darling," started Selina.

"Let's skip the pleasantries and get down to business," snapped Bruce. "Your nephew, Drake, he could get himself killed."

Selina nodded slightly. "It's the risk he's willing to take. He's in as much danger as Terry. Who, I must say, bears a striking resemblance to you."

Bruce grinned slightly. "I never noticed." Then it faded. "Terry at least has training, the suit, and my resources at his disposal. Something Drake does not."

Selina leaned forward as she played with her water glass. "I seem to remember not having as many toys as you and I always did fine."

"That's cause Brucie here was spoiled with those toys of his," said a new voice.

Selina's face lit up as the massive boxer appeared. "Teddy, you came."

Teddy, or Ted Grant, AKA Wild Cat, nodded as he sat down. "Course I did. Bruce…you look like hell."

"That's what happens when you get old," answered the former superhero.

Ted laughed. "Yea, having nine lives helps with the aging thing." He took a seat and picked up the menu. "The hell is this garbage?"

Selina sighed. "Be good, this is a lovely café, and Bruce is being kind enough to pay."

Bruce leaned forward, fingers laced in front of him. "This explains his hand to hand combat skills."

Selina nodded as she leaned back. "I found Teddy a few years ago, when I first got Drake. Drake…he was having difficulty adjusting to his new life. I thought boxing would help. Imagine my surprise when he picked up a pair of fighting sticks and went to town. Ted started to teach him personally."

"Kid has talent, his body is built for fighting, even if it's with a weapon, still he's good," continued Ted. "Two years back Selina moved to Gotham, and that's when the kid wanted to start being a vigilante. We managed to convince he needed more seasoning, but well, he feels he's ready now."

Selina sighed as Ted scarfed down some of the bread. "We're not asking permission Bruce, we're asking for help. Every time he goes out, I'm terrified of how badly hurt he'll be when he comes back. But it's like asking you to give up being Batman."

Bruce sighed as he leaned back. An awkward silence descended on the group as Bruce thought. Finally he growled slightly. "Have him over to the manor after school, we have work to do." With that he stood up, threw down a few creds and left.

Ted leaned back. "That went better than I expected."

Selina nodded. "You struck a chord with him, best to capitalize on it."

Ted smirked as he shook his head. "He was gonna help the kid no matter what we said, we just gave him a good excuse."

"I wouldn't be so sure," countered Selina.

Ted just laughed. "That man had more sidekicks and apprentices than some of my friends from the Justice Society. He, better than almost anyone, recognizes the drive that pushes our kind to do what we do. And he wants to make this world a better place, so he helps those who have that drive. No, he was gonna help, he just had to convince himself to do it." Ted stretched his arms. "I need to get back to gym, got kids to train. I'll see ya later Selina." He bent down and kissed the woman's cheek then left. Selina twirled her water glass again as she considered the full impact of Bruce's help.

Meanwhile, crime fighting was the last thing on Drake's mind at the moment, well crime anyway. He ducked under a wild haymaker and came up with a vicious uppercut, followed by an over hand punch that slammed his opponent into the ground.

Drake spun and dodged another jock; Drake slammed a leg into the jock's stomach as he charged. The jock flew back. Drake put his back to the lockers, arms up, waiting. The others all circled around him. Their original target, Howard Groote, was standing behind Terry while Drake fought. The lead jock, stepped forward. "Ready to give up geek?"

Drake just cocked his arm back and punched the jock. He went down. That's when the teachers showed up. "What's going on here!?" demanded one. Drake didn't say anything; he just stood up from his crouched stance. The jocks all began to shout how Drake attacked them out of nowhere, and that they had been minding their own business. Howard went to defend Drake but the loner shook his head. He stared at Terry, who nodded and dragged Howard away. The teacher stepped into Drake's line of sight. "Do you have anything to say young man?"

Drake's gold eyes found the teacher's dark ones, and he shook his head. He scooped up his backpack and followed the teacher to the principal's office. A small wave kept Max from running after him.

Drake was forced into the principal's office by a school security guard, where he waited while his file was pulled up. "Well Mr. Abel, you have quite a record here. You've been thrown out of two different schools for fighting, not to mention assault charges that were only dropped after being brought before two judges." The educator sat down with the file in front of him. "And now, a new fight, the first time it happened we let it slide, students do like to harass the new kid and there were witnesses who corroborated that it was self-defense. This time though, everyone is saying you merely attacked a group of students for no reason." Drake just stared at the man blankly, not bothering to answer. The principal pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you have anything to say? Because if this is going to become a pattern I will throw you out of this school, and I'll love every second of it." Drake snorted and leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. The principal scowled. "You think I'm joking?" Drake shook his head, but he didn't look afraid. The principal opened his mouth when the door to his office flew open. Both men turned to see Selina Kyle strut in, a glare on her face.

"Drake! Tell this man why you were fighting, now!" she snapped at her ward.

Drake took on the sullen look of a kid caught in the cookie jaw. His jaw clenched and he turned away. The principal stood up, confused. "Ma'am you can't just barge in here, this is"

"I'm his guardian," replied Selina. "Now sit down." She pointed at the man's chair, and despite himself, the principal sat. Selina turned back to her nephew and all but growled. "Speak!" she hissed.

Drake sent a baneful stare to his aunt before opening his mouth. "Jocks…attacked a…friend…was defending…him."

Selina nodded. "See, he was defending his friend. So give him a day's suspension and let's move on. Drake grab your things we're leaving." Selina swept her coat around her and left, Drake followed; a grin on his face. The principal could only sit there and gape like a fish.

Outside the man's office Selina sighed. "You should thank your friend Max, I don't know how she got my number, but she called me and explained what happened. And next time, it might help if you actually defended yourself, instead of sullenly accepting an unfair punishment!" Drake shrugged as he shifted his backpack. Selina just shook her head and walked away. "Terry is taking you home," she called over her shoulder.

Drake made a noise of agreement as he made his way back to class. Most students avoided him, the hockey team glared and muttered to themselves, but Drake paid them no mind. He stopped just outside the classroom and was about to open the door when Terry appeared. "Mrs. Ackins hates kids who interrupt her class cause they were at the principal's office. You're marked for cutting anyway, let's get some food," said the teenaged hero.

Drake sighed but nodded all the same and followed Terry to the cafeteria. Max and Dana were waiting with food. Terry sat down and Dana automatically leaned against her boyfriend while Drake took a seat next to Max. The pink haired girl shook her head at Drake when he winced slightly. "Now care to explain why you felt the need to attack the whole hockey team?"

Drake glared as he shrugged. "Only three of them."

Max goes to say something but just smacks Drake upside his head instead. "You're lucky me and Ter were able to find your aunt's phone number."

"Was fine," countered Drake as he scowled at the girl.

Max just crossed her arms and cocked her to the side. "Really? From what I heard, you didn't bother to even defend yourself in the principal's office. Hell you were about be expelled!"

Drake could only shrug. Max was about to launch into another rant when Howard appeared. "Hey Drake, I just wanted to say thanks for dealing with those jocks, they're real jerks those guys."

Drake awkwardly patted Howard's shoulder as he nodded slightly. "No…problem," he responded.

Howard gave him a giant smile. "Thanks again man, hey I'm thinking of having a party this weekend, you guys are all welcome to come!"

Dana shared a look with Max while Terry rubbed a hand over his face. "Howard, what about the last time?" asked the teenaged vigilante.

Howard blushed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh yea, well there won't be a crazy synthoid there this time."

"We'll see if we can make it Romeo, just try not to bring any psycho girlfriends," laughed Max. The others all joined in. Except Drake, he looked confused.

Terry just face palmed again as he looked at his friend. "We'll explain another time."

The rest of the day passed without incident and by the end of the day, Drake met up with Terry to go to Wayne Manor. The drive over was quiet, but not uncomfortable. When they pulled up Drake cocked an eyebrow. "Convenient," he said as he looked around the isolated manor.

Terry chuckled slightly. "Yea it does make hiding away from everyone easier." They pulled into the garage where Wayne was already waiting, Ace next to him. Drake hesitantly got out of the car, and Ace's ears lowered, a growl erupted from the dog's throat. Terry shook his head exasperatedly. "Damn mutt, he doesn't like anyone at first. Come on." But Drake didn't move. He just kept staring at Ace, and to the surprise of both bats, growled back at the dog.

Ace jumped forward and the two started to circle each other, ready to fight. "Ace Heel!" shouted Bruce. The dog stopped and looked back at its master. It growled again at Drake then walked back to Bruce. For his part, Drake looked like he was still ready to fight.

"Ok, so, let's get started?" said Terry, confused as to what just happened. Drake's head snapped up, and his gold eyes were bright, but then he shook his head and nodded. Bruce's lined face was blank, but his eyes, they were calculating. It made Drake uncomfortable to be the subject of the old bat's gaze. The three made their way to the Bat Cave, Ace and Drake being kept apart from each other.

When Drake entered the cave, all he could do was gape. Selina had some mementos of her time as Catwoman, but the Bat Cave was a veritable museum of Gotham's criminal past. In center of the Cave a ring has been set up, and a table of weapons were laid out. Bruce walked over to the table and picked up a staff. "Selina says you're ready to work with the Batman, let's see how ready." A sparing bot made to look like Killer Croc stepped into the ring. Drake grinned as he walked over to the table, picking up a pair of rattan fighting sticks, then hopped into the ring.

With a wild roar the Croc robot charged. Only to be met by Drake, who looked like he was having the time of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm Back! Sort of, my stories are gonna be really sporadic i'm sorry, because i started school again. But i am still writing and I hope to get this story rolling again. Hope everyone enjoys this and as always enjoy!**

**BRL**

Batman scouted through the building, his eyes scanned for any clue of what happened. The Red Queen had appeared again, attacking a Wayne Powers research facility. The dark knight was investigating what she had stolen. "The place is trashed," whispered Batman as he made his way through the warehouse. "Whatever she wanted, she was pretty desperate to find it. What was stored here?"

Clacking of keys could be heard before Bruce responded. "Scrubbed military projects, battle suits, new weapons, R&D equipment not easily found. If she knew to look here, that's troubling."

Batman stopped at an open container, its contents spread across the floor. Injector cartridges. "These look like splicer doses," murmured the detective.

"There's nothing in the warehouse's manifest about carrying any mutagen," Bruce responded. The old detective started working again and found a new manifest, with the warehouse's true contents. He growled as he read something. "Someone's using this as a holding area from confiscated technology from recent crimes. Copy of Shriek's sound suit, Chimera's splicing formulas, even slappers. Someone's using my warehouse to store illegal weapons."

Terry went to respond when he stopped. "Someone's here," he hissed and activated his cloaking. He rocketed into the sky just as Jokerz appeared.

"Man, see I wasn't kidding. All this schway tech, just left where anyone can get it!" laughed one in a jester hat.

Woof started sniffing as the others looked around. Woof stopped and started growling, the others all just jeered the spliced teen. But Woof wasn't dissuaded. He raced to the spot where Batman was hiding, circling the girder the vigilante rested on. "What are you yapping at Woof?" asks J-man as he walks over. "There's nothing there ya crazy mutt!" Woof snapped at the gang leader's hand. "Stop that!" J-man almost blasted Woof as the hyena teen started laughing.

Batman shook his head. "Idiots," he muttered. The others had all spread out, looking for stuff. "I don't have time for this." He pulled out a batarang and took a deep breath. Then he threw. The projectile smashed into Woof, electrocuting the hybrid teen, while Batman attacked the others.

It didn't take long for Batman to mop up the Jokerz, the idiot gang members barely putting up a fight. Batman stretched and his back popped. "Well maybe the night might not be a total loss." Batman strolled over to J-man and hauled him up. He pinned him to a girder with a bolo, then smacked the teen. "Wakey wakey, we need to talk." J-man didn't stir. Batman sighed as he pulled his arm back. "We'll do it the hard way then." A heavy punch crashed into J-mans' stomach. The Joker came too as he gasped for air. Batman pulled the Jokerz's hair back and made the teen look him in the eyes. "Alright, who tipped you off about this warehouse!?"

"S-s-s-some fool dressed up like a crazy!" screeched J-man.

Batman cocked an eyebrow under his cowl. "Dressed crazy, you're dressed like a clown, let's be a little more specific."

J-man shrugged…sort of. "I-I-I don't know man! He had a big hat, and wore a green coat."

"The Hatter," hissed Bruce.

"This guy with the hat, he got a name!?" demanded Batman.

J-man shook his head. "No, he just told us bout the warehouse and that it'd be empty, ripe for the picking. That's all I know man, I swear!"

Batman punched J-man, knocking the joker unconscious. He tapped his comm lines. "You hear that, we're looking for a Mad Hatter."

"Roger," rang a new voice through the comm link. "I'll start sweeping the area."

"Got it," answered Terry as he left the warehouse. He rocketed into the Batmobile and flew off.

Meanwhile, a new figure zoomed through the sky. He rode a black and red sky cycle, with a hood, a pointed mouth covering and domino mask to cover his face. Like Batman, his suit was black with a silver belt. But where the bat symbol is on Terry, there is a red V shape on the new comer. Handles were attached to his wrists, one on each arm. He flew over a gang of T's racing towards the warehouse. "Seems like someone was talking a lot," murmured the new figure.

"We can't have every gang running around looking for this warehouse," grumbled Bruce. "Commissioner Gordon is on her way to secure the warehouse, stop those morons from getting in."

"Right," answered the new masked figure. He jumped into a crouch on the saddle of his bike. He spread his arms, and wing flaps appeared. He flew off the bike and rocketed towards the group. He landed on top of the biggest one, smashing the gangbanger's teeth into the ground. The others all jumped back. The vigilante took the handles off his arm and a pair of fighting sticks sprang out. "If you don't want to get hurt…run home…now!"

One of the T's pulled a pistol. "And who the hell are you?"

The vigilante, underneath his mask and hood, grinned slightly. "Nightwing." With that he rocketed forward. The gangers didn't stand a chance.

20 minutes later Batman was patrolling the sky with no luck when he intercepted a police report. "Nightwing looks like this Red Queen is attempting to rob Gotham First National. She's got an army of people dressed up like playing cards, and a giant purple monster is with her." He throttled the Batmobile's engine and spun around.

"Meet you there," came the response as Nightwing revved his jetbike's engine. LikLIHe took off from the little fight scene, where the T's were still trying to pick themselves up from the ground. "How many cards?"

"Don't know, police units are calling for SWAT teams and reinforcements, so heavy," answered Batman.

Nightwing grinned under his mask. "Schway."

Batman couldn't help the smirk that wormed its way onto his face. "Yea, schway."

Bruce growled over the comms. "Don't get carried away, if you don't take this seriously innocents could get hurt, not to mention get yourselves killed." Both young teenagers apologized, but both still wore matching smiles as they flew toward the massive standoff.

Outside Gotham First National, there was a massive firefight between the police and the criminals. True to the reports, all of them were dressed as playing cards, with hearts and numbers on each of their masks and chests. The playing cards were holding their own, they had a superior position and were holding their ground. The police were waiting for SWAT to storm the building.

The two vigilantes met over the bank, the Batmobile's cockpit door slid back as Nightwing leaned up from his bike's controls. "They look like they could use a hand," said Nightwing.

Batman nodded as a batarang appeared in his hand. "Well, we are here to catch the bad guys, shall we?" Nightwing nodded. Both rocketed off their vehicles and flew towards the bank.

Nightwing nodded to Batman as he banked right, heading towards the main fire fight. Batman flew toward the bank itself. Three modified batarangs, rechristened wingdings after the original Nightwing, appeared in the vigilante's hand. As he flew over the card soldiers, he threw the projectiles. Two struck Cards in the head; the other buried itself in the ground. Nightwing banked right, using some evasive flying he learned from the Bat as Cards turned their fire towards him. Unfortunately, he still hadn't mastered it. Three shots blasted into the teen hero, he cork screwed through the air from the force of the hits.

Nightwing managed to right himself in time so he didn't fall on his neck. He skidded on the ground, then rolled to his feet as Cards charged him. Two went down to wingdings, then Nightwing pulled out his fight sticks and got to work.

Meanwhile Batman flew in to the bank through a sky line; he turned on his stealth system, all but disappearing as he landed in the shadows. Inside the bank, the Red Queen, along with a new Hatter, a man dressed like a knight, and the purple Jabberwocky, were loading creds up into cargo crates.

"Hurry, Hurry you fools! That new vigilante is outside fighting my playing cards!" screeched the Red Queen as she flailed with her scepter.

"I wouldn't worry about him, you got enough trouble with me," said Terry as he popped up. Three batarangs flew through the air. The Hatter didn't know what hit him. The Jabberwocky took two hits to the head and roared. It charged forward. "That's not good," remarked Terry.

He activated his rocket boosters and flew to the left as the massive monster crashed into the bank's walls. The purple beast struggled to pick itself up as Batman flew overhead, several bolos in hand. The teenaged vigilante threw the traps at the monster, tying up its mouth and fore legs. The monster thrashed as it tried to free itself. Batman landed in front of the Red Queen with a smirk. "Seems like you should have brought more goons with you."

The girl glared. "Don't count my beautiful Jabberwocky out yet!" Batman cocked his head to the side when he heard cables snapping.

"McGinnes!" cried Bruce. Terry couldn't react in time. A massive purple tail slammed into Batman, smashing him into a column.

The Red Queen leered at Batman. "Told you." The monster charged into Batman, bashing him into another wall with its fore legs.

Batman rolled away from the next attack and threw several batarangs. Now that the monster knew it was fighting it blocked the projectiles with its forelimbs, then countered with a blast of lighting breath. "It breathes lighting…wonderful!" snapped Batman as he dodged. Three smoke bombs appeared in his hand as the vigilante maneuvered around the monster. Batman launched himself into the air and chucked the bombs at the monster's face.

The purple beast roared as it flailed, trying to clear the knock out gas out of its face. Batman charged into the side of it, knocking it into a wall, then flew up with a heavy uppercut. The monster's head flew back, a fang actually fell loose. Batman spun in midair and slammed a heavy round house kick into it. The beast actually spun from the force of the blow. Batman landed. "Damn," he panted. He spun when he heard footsteps. The Red Queen swung her scepter at the vigilante. Though…it was a laughable attempt of an attack. Batman grabbed the scepter and smacked her with it. The Queen went down. Batman tied her up, then wrapped up all six of the Jabberwocky's limbs. Finally, after making sure his targets were secure, he tapped his comm's line. "How are you doing Nightwing?"

Over the radio, Batman could hear gun fire. "Little busy," called Nightwing as he continued to fight.

"I'm on my way!" replied Batman as he blasted off into the sky. Outside he found Nightwing in the middle of the cards, trying to keep a ring of space around him as he fights. His style of fighting needed space to maneuver, and the cards were swarming him. Three batarangs appeared in Batman's hand as he flew by, and threw. Two cards went down, while the third exploded and created space for Nightwing. Nightwing flipped away from the cards, tossing wingdings over his shoulder as he retreated.

"Police Surrender Your Weapons!" came the rallying cry. Both vigilantes froze as the police reinforcements started swarming the bank.

Batamn looked at Nightwing and held up smoke bombs. "Time to go!" called the older vigilante. Nightwing nodded as he grabbed his own bombs. A smoke screen erupted around the pair as the police charged in, the pair disappearing.

The pair met on a rooftop overlooking the bank. "Well, not bad for your first night out as a real member of the bat clan," said Terry as Nightwing dropped onto the roof.

Nightwing nodded as he sat down. "Yea…not bad at all." He pushed his hood back and pulled down mouth covering, leaving him in just a domino mask. "That was intense," murmured Nightwing as he stretched. "How do you breathe in that cowl?"

Terry laughed. "It has a mouth piece, come on; we need to get back to the cave." He pressed the center button on his belt, and the batmobile appeared. Nightwing stood up and did the same, his jetbike flew over. "See you there."

Nightwing nodded and he fixed his hood and mouth covering. Both flew up to their respective vehicles and rocketed off.


End file.
